Business Rates

Baroness Hanham: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	This Government are clear that helping small shops and businesses grow is a crucial part of rebalancing and rebuilding the economy. We are committed to providing businesses with the help they need to prosper by cutting red tape and giving local authorities the tools they need to promote economic growth.
	Small shops and businesses are crucial to the country's economy and they were hit hard by the financial legacy left us. Discretionary discounts will give councils the ability to respond to local circumstances including supporting the local pub or post office if they are struggling or encouraging new start-up enterprises.
	I am therefore pleased to announce that the Government intend to include in the forthcoming localism Bill the necessary provisions to:
	allow for discretionary business rates discounts so that local authorities in England will be able to respond to local circumstances by reducing business rates bills; simplify the process for claiming small business rate relief in England by removing the legal requirement for ratepayers to submit an application form.
	The Government are already helping an estimated 500,000 ratepayers who are eligible for small business rate relief by doubling the normal discount for next year, worth £390 million. Approximately 345,000 of those could pay no rates at all. We want to see as many small business rate payers as possible claim their tax cuts in the future and we are cutting the unnecessary red tape.
	In addition we will amend secondary legislation to ensure that all eligible businesses in England automatically have their discounted bills calculated using the small business multiplier.
	We will also ensure through the localism Bill that all future business rates supplements for England and Wales, where they fund either more or less than a third of the overall project, will have to be put to the ballot so that liable businesses can decide whether to impose the business rate supplement upon themselves.
	We have already announced that the localism Bill will also contain the necessary provisions to cancel certain significant and unexpected backdated business rates bills. This will allow affected businesses, in ports and others across England, to move forward confidently, unburdened by the crippling debt imposed by this liability.
	The Government have also set out radical new proposals to look at ways for local authorities to keep the business rates they collect locally. We are determined to give councils a genuine financial stake in their local economy and let them target their support at local shops, pubs, post offices and start-up enterprises.

Environment: Judicial Review Cases

Lord McNally: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Jonathan Djanogly), has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am publishing the consultation paper Consultation on Cross-undertakings in Damages in Environmental Judicial Review Cases on 24 November 2010.
	This is a formal consultation exercise undertaken by the Ministry of Justice to seek views on whether:
	the existing measure of judicial discretion on whether to require cross-undertakings in environmental judicial review cases strikes an appropriate balance between the interests of the claimant and defendant and, where appropriate, the general public interest in the circumstances of each particular case; and such undertakings should be required when interim relief is sought.
	Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Libraries and the document is also available online, at www.justice.gov.uk.
	The consultation period will be from 24 November until 24 February 2011 and I will make a further Statement regarding the response shortly after the consultation period ends.

EU: Competitiveness Council

Baroness Wilcox: My honourable friend the Minister for Universities and Science (David Willetts) has today made the following Statement.
	The EU Competitiveness Council will take place in Brussels. Andy Lebrecht, the UK's deputy permanent representative to the EU, will represent the UK on industry issues on 25 November and I shall represent UK research issues on 26 November.
	Industry agenda items will be Commission presentations and discussions on the Europe 2020 flagship initiatives, An Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era and Innovation Union; a lunchtime ministerial discussion on the Small Business Act; and European space policy. Research items will comprise adoption of council conclusions on Innovation Union, a progress report on the European Research Area, and the budgetary position of ITER.
	There will be five items taken under any other business for which BIS will be responsible:
	Commission presentation of the strategy for clean and energy efficient vehicles; joint declaration for electric mobility in Europe; Commission information concerning space policy from its communication An Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era;Commission and presidency information on the European and developing countries clinical trials partnership (EDCTP); andinformation on research conferences organised by the presidency.
	The Government's main aims will be:
	to outline UK priorities for a new EU industrial policy, particularly the importance of open and competitive markets;to show broad support for the approach adopted for the Innovation Union, but express caution over clarity of the initiative in areas such as political commitments to EU spending beyond 2014 and Commission proposals to develop a European knowledge market for patents and licensing;to approve agenda for the Space Council and adopt the resolution entitled "Global challenges: taking full benefit of European space systems";to express strong support for the Small Business Act, and endorse SME enterprise and competitiveness as vital tools to a sustainable European recovery, economic growth and employment; regard European Research Area items as generally uncontentious for the UK, but express some concern about the strategic framework for international S&T co-operation as much of this lies within national competence and there is also limited commitment by most other member states; andto ensure UK views on project management and budget issues are made clear on budgetary issues relating to ITER.

Financial Regulation

Lord Sassoon: My honourable friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mark Hoban) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government have today published a summary of responses to their consultation document, A New Approach to Financial Regulation: Judgment, Focus and Stability.
	This document, published on 26 July 2010, set out the Government's plans for fundamental reform of the UK's financial regulatory framework, providing the Bank of England with control of macroprudential regulation and oversight of microprudential regulation. The Government will legislate to create:
	a financial policy committee in the Bank of England; a new prudential regulation authority, as a subsidiary of the Bank; and an independent Consumer Protection and Markets Authority (CPMA).
	In addition to a summary of consultation responses, this document confirms the Government's decisions that:
	the UK Listing Authority will remain within the CPMA's markets division; and
	the FSA's criminal enforcement powers in relation to market conduct will be retained within the CPMA at this time.
	The document also sets out the Government's preliminary conclusions on key themes raised by respondents to the consultation.
	The Government will present more detailed policy and legislative proposals, for further consultation early in 2011. The Government intend to introduce legislation to implement their proposals in mid-2011 and the passage of legislation is expected to take around a year. The new regulatory framework is anticipated to be in place by the end of 2012.
	Copies of A New Approach to Financial Regulation: Summary of Consultation Responses have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and published on the HM Treasury website.

Flooding

Lord Henley: My honourable friend the Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries (Richard Benyon) has today made the following Statement.
	Defra and the Environment Agency are today publishing a consultation for a national flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England. This is a key step in the delivery of the Government's commitment to "take forward the findings of the Pitt review to improve our flood defences, and prevent unnecessary buildings in areas of high flood risk".
	The Flood and Water Management Act requires the Environment Agency to prepare a national strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management. The strategy will be prepared taking into account the responses to the consultation and will be submitted to Ministers for approval. Once approved, it will be laid in parliament for 40 days before it comes into effect.
	The strategy will consider risk from all sources of flooding and coastal erosion at the national level. It will help us make the difficult decisions about what government funding is used for and how much is allocated between the different tasks and risk management authorities.
	It is important that this national view is complemented by strong local leadership and accountability. The strategy will reflect the need for decisions to be made locally, by the communities at risk, and it will provide the framework to encourage and enable local action to take place. We remain committed to fully funding local authority new burdens under the Flood and Water Management Act. Up to £36 million a year will be provided directly to lead local flood authorities (£21 million in 2011-12 due to phasing-in).
	The strategy proposes an overall aim for flood and coastal erosion risk management and high-level principles to guide activities at both national and local levels. One of these principles reflects Sir Michael Pitt's suggestion, in his review of the summer 2007 floods, that additional local investment in flood risk management should be allowed and encouraged.
	The system proposed includes a long-term investment framework so that we have the potential over time to support local needs, build our resilience as a society and give communities a bigger say in their own future. More detailed information about how this might be implemented is provided in a linked consultation available on Defra's website. Accompanying consultations on draft guidance on the duty for local authorities to contribute to sustainable development and draft guidance on co-operation and the sharing of information are also being undertaken at the same time.
	Links to the consultations are provided from the Defra and Environment Agency websites at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/ and https://consult. environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/. The consultations will run for 12 weeks and it will be important that responses are received from the full range of interests, including parliamentarians and Select Committees.

Gypsies and Travellers

Baroness Hanham: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Andrew Stunell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government have on 24 November 2010 published the count of Gypsy and Traveller caravans undertaken on 8 July 2010.
	Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and can be accessed via the Department for Communities and Local Government website at http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/caravancountjul2010.

Home Office: Winter Supplementary Estimates

Baroness Neville-Jones: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Theresa May) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the Home Office's departmental expenditure limits for 2010-11 will be reduced by £27,570,000 from £10,002,634,000 to £9,975,064,000 and the administration budget will be reduced by £12,300,000 from £404,810,000 to £392,510,000.
	Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is as set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Change  New DEL  £'000 
			  Voted Non-voted Voted Non-voted Total 
			 Resource DEL (26,496) (1,074) 8,399,252 1,020,085 9,419,337 
			 of which:  
			 Administration budget (12,191) (109) 213,205 179,305 392,510 
			 Capital DEL† (4,000) 4,000 588,461 175,761 764,222 
			 Less Depreciation†† 6,900 (6,900) (151,029) (57,466) (208,495) 
			 Total DEL (23,596) (3,974) 8,836,684 1,138,380 9,975,064 
		
	
	† Capital DEL includes items treated as resource in estimates and accounts but which are treated as capital DEL in budgets.
	†† Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.
	
		
			£000's 
			 (a) Total o/w Non cash o/w Admin 
			 The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from: (27,570) 0 (12,300) 
			 Transfers from other government departments: 5,000 0 0 
			 Programme from the Security and Intelligence Agencies to the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (section C) for funding counter terrorism activities. 5,000   
			 Transfers to other government departments: (32,570) 0 (12,300) 
			 Programme from the UK Border Agency (section D) to the Ministry of Justice to help close the financial gap around asylum and immigration tribunals activity. (14,000)   
			 Admin from Central Services (section F) to the Ministry of Justice for shared accommodation costs. (12,300)  (12,300) 
			 Programme from the UK Border Agency (section D) to Communities and Local Government to fund the Migration Impact Fund. (4,340)   
			 Programme from the UK Border Agency (section D) to the Scottish Government to fund the Migration Impact Fund. (1,180)   
			 Programme from the Crime and Policing Group (section A) to the Ministry of Justice to meet the costs of the Victims' Commissioner's Office. (400)   
			 Programme from Central Services (section F) to the Cabinet Office for improving information strategy capability. (300)   
			 Programme from the UK Border Agency (section D) to the Ministry of Justice for funding the Ministerial Council on deaths in custody. (50)   
		
	
	
		
			 (b) Capital Total 
			 There is no change in the capital element of the DEL.  0

Questions for Written Answer: Correction

Earl Howe: I regret that the Written Answer given to Lord Alton of Liverpool on 12 November 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 141), was incorrect with respect to a meeting of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's (HFEA) Research Licence Committee.
	The HFEA has advised that a meeting of the authority's Research Licence Committee did take place on 14 September 2006. On that occasion the committee did have before it the data subsequently published in the journal Human Fertility (volume 10, issue 3, pages 183-7).
	The HFEA advises that, from the papers before the Research Licence Committee, it cannot establish beyond any doubt the origin of the data reported in the study published in Human Fertility, although the papers confirm that the data originated from a National Health Service-based tertiary fertility unit.